By: Anton Massopust III

ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary: Once Upon a Time in Queens about the 1986 World Champion New York Mets.

There are many teams that have changed history that have won championships, but the 1986 Mets were truly a sight to behold. Even if you are not a Mets fan, it was probably the most exciting bit of baseball you ever seen. General Manger Frank Cashen changes everything about the New York Mets to make them into a winning team.

Part 1 – We find out about Shea Stadium and how terrible a team they were and how everyone loved the New York Yankees, but many regular common working people loved the New York Mets. After the Mets won in 1969, the documentary shows how they rebuilt their team from the 1970’s into the 1980’s. They talk about how bad the Mets were and their darkest day when they traded their star player pitcher Tom Seaver, who was the face of the franchise for many years.  After the 1970’s was over and in the 1980s, GM Frank Cashen became a force to be reckoned with. He gets Davey Johnson to be the manager and slowly acquisitions the star players. Mookie Wilson, Gary Carter, Daryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Lenny Dykstra, and the formation of that team that won throughout 1980s through 1985-1986.

Keith Hernandez reflects on his life: the good, the bad, and the ugly and his father and brother which is similar to the movie “Fear Strikes Out”.  He was very close to both of them, but he had a falling out with his dad. 

Darryl Strawberry talks about his terrible his life was.

Part 2 – Lenny Dykstra joins the team after Mookie Wilson is injured in spring training and now the Mets have the world at the feet in New York City. 

The problems with drug addiction that the Mets faced is covered. Davey Johnson felt that what you did off the field, he didn’t care about it. What was on the field was important. 

Part 3 – The ‘86 Mets win the division championship against the Astros. One Astro pitcher was unhittable: Mike Scott. The controversy that he was accused of using sandpaper to illegally scrape the ball. The commissioner and the umpires refused to inspect him.

Part 4 – The World Series and how the Mets lost the first 2 games. Then the famous Game 6 when Red Sox First Baseman Bill Buckner let Mookie Wilson’s ground ball go between his legs and each of the Mets hitters did not want to be the last out in the World Series.

Game 7 – the eventual comeback and the Mets win.

The parade of the canyon of heroes, and the Mets take it all and the trades begin, the dismantling of the team of something that will never be the same again.

The ’86 Mets is something we will never see again. 

In this documentary they say many people never followed baseball again because it was just too good, and too sad after the championship. Let’s Go Mets!